Adjustable wire fabric weapon securing apparatus



Aug. 22, 1967 R. ROBISON ADJUSTABLE WIRE FABRIC WEAPON SECURING APPARATUS Filed June 17, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. ROGER L. ROB/SON A TTOR/VE rs 1967 R. L. ROBISON 3,336,643

ADJUSTABLE WIRE FABRIC WEAPON SECURING APPARATUS Filed June 17, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. ROGER L. ROB/SON United States Patent Office Filed June 17, 1966, Ser. No. 559,347 6 Claims. (Cl. 24270) The invention described herein may be" manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.

The present invention relates to securing apparatus and more particularly to a wire fabric belt that is connected by an improved latch and buckle for securing an object to a supporting surface.

A widely used method of storing missiles, torpedoes or similar elongated objects aboard ship employs a stocklike chock assembly. The obvious disadvantage of using this method is that each differently sized missile requires a differently sized assembly. In addition, since the missile must be secured aboard ship during heavy seas, the assemblies must be of a heavy duty construction. Being so constructed considerable time must be expended when securing or releasing the missiles. Other securing methods utilize a belt-buckle apparatus but are inherently unstable since the connecting apparatus, a latch and buckle, is not in firm contact with the object. By not being in firm contact with the object apparatus the latch and buckle can pivot or move to thereby weaken the connection. Existing securing apparatus merely connect two ends of the web and do not tighten the connected web to insure a more positive securing of the object. Known securing apparatuses are not formed so as to maintain a flush relationship with the secured object but have cumbersome projections and occupy an undue amount of space. Present securing stiaps which are made of a non-metallic fiber do not Withstand the effects of corrosion or of volatile liquids in the ambient environment. Also, because of design of the fabric and of the latch and buckle, present securing apparatuses tend to slide laterally along the secured object. All of the latching mechanisms fail to provide a positive lock for securing the latch assembly in its closed position with the result that the assembly could easily open and release the secured object. None .of the securing apparatuses provide a means by Which'a buckle can selectively engage a desired position on a wire fabric belt.

An object of the invention is to provide a rugged securing apparatus impervious to the ambient environment that is formed to secure rounded objects such as missiles and torpedoes and which is quickly and easily releasable.

Another object of the invention is to provide a securing apparatus having a buckle which is selectively positionable on the wire fabric belt to thereby permit securing of different sized objects.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a means for securing an object to a surface that is rugged and of a relatively simple construction.

Another object of the invention is to provide a securing apparatus which bears against the object to be secured so as to maintain a substantially flush relationship with the object and to thereby provide a more stable positive securing apparatus. j I

A further object is to provide a latch assembly which tightens the strap attached thereto when closed.

Another object of the known invention is to provide a securing apparatus utilizing a wire fabric belt.

Another object of the invention is to provide a securing apparatus which minimizes lateral sliding of the securing apparatus on the object and lateral sliding of the object with respect to the securing apparatus.

3,336,643 Patented Aug. 22, 1967 A further object is to provide a securing apparatus having a positive lock on the latch assembly that prevents accidental release of the securing apparatus.

Briefly, the invention is directed to providing an apparatus for securing an object on a surface. A flexible belt, preferably a wire fabric belt, is connected to the surface by a U-shaped securing means. At the other end of the belt a buckle having a releasable belt engaging means is selectively positionable to any desired point on the flexible belt. The buckle also is provided with a laterally extending pin sized to fit into a pair of coextensive hook portions on a latch assembly. The latch assembly includes a frame formed with spaced Walls provided with a pair of opposed slots at an end opposite the coextensive hooks. A lateral extending guide pin extends through the opposed slots and has its opposite ends attached to a pair of toggle links. The toggle links are, in turn, attached to a toggle lever which is pivotally mounted on the frame. The guide pin is connected to the surface by a pair of arms, or the guide pin can be connected to another length of flexible belt which in turn is connected to the surface. The belt, which is selectively positionable in the buckle, is reeved through laterally extending pins carried by the buckle to secure the flexible belt. Upon placing the buckle within the latch assembly and pivotally moving the toggle lever to an over center position, the latch assembly forcibly tensions the flexible belt to positively secure the object.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the securing apparatus holding a missile on a chock base with the latch assembly in a closed and locked position;

FIG. '2 is a fragmentary enlarged top view of the wire fabric belt;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the latch assembly and buckle with the latch assembly in the open position and the buckle removed;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along lines 3-3 in FIG. 1.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a section of an object 10, which could be, for example, a torpedo or a missile, is positioned on a pair of chocks 1112 joined by a chock, base 13. A U-shaped anchor portion 14 is provided with an anchoring bolt 15 at one end and a laterally extending anchor pin 16 at the opposite end. The anchor portion 14 is mounted to base 13 by means of a hole provided in the base through which anchor bolt 15 passes.

A wire fabric belt 17 is formed of a series of interconnected units 18. Each unit includes a straight member 19 mounting a plurality of looped members 20 sized to enclose an adjacent straight member 19a, which has its respective plurality of looped members 20a mounted thereon. One end of fabric belt 17 is attached to anchor pin 16 by suitable means, such as by enlarging one units looped members 20 to encompass anchor pin 16.

At the opposite end of belt 17 a buckle 25 is positionably mounted in a manner that will be explained below. A latch assembly, generally designated by the numeral 35, is connected to chock base 13 through latch anchor portion 61. The latch anchor portion is provided at one end with an anchoring bolt 62 that is inserted through a suitable hole in chock base 13. The other end of the latch anchor portion is connected to latch assembly 35.

In FIG. 3 latch assembly 35 is shown in its open position with buckle 25 positioned outside of and above the latch assembly. The latch assembly is provided with a frame member 36 which includes a pair of coextensive side walls 37, 38, a joining member or web 36a, and

at opposite lower ends of the side walls, laterally extending bearing pins 39, 40 are mounted. As may be noted the pins are sized to extend beyond the side walls to provide a bearing surface for the latch assembly. At one end of frame member 36 and adjacent to bearing pin 40 the side walls are formed as coextensive hooks 41, 42. Coextcnsive hook 41 is provided with a notch 42 the purpose of which will be explained below. At the opposite end of the frame adjacent bearing pin 39, side walls 37, 38 include longitudinally extending coextensive slots 44, 45. A laterally extending guide pin 46 is mounted in the slots and is capable of a longitudinal reciprocal motion.

A toggle lever 47 having parallel sides 48, 49 and interconnecting portion 50 is pivotally mounted on frame member 36 by a laterally extending toggle pin 47a which extends through the frame member 36 and is secured to opposed ends of the sides 48, 49. A pair of toggle links 51, 52 have a first pair of opposed ends pivotally mounted on opposed medial portions of parallel sides 48, 49 by rivets 53, 54. At the other end of toggle links 51, 52 a second pair of opposed ends are secured to opposite ends of guide pin 46 which extends through coextensive slots 44, 45. The guide pin 46 also is pivotally connected to latch anchor portion 61 through holes in the end of latch anchor arms 63, 64.

Mounted on parallel side 48 a lock rivet 55 pivotally supports a toggle latch which includes a lock lever 56 and a biasing spring 58. An extension of lock lever 56 extends through a lock slot 57 located in interconnecting portion 50 to provide a lever for releasing lock lever spur 56a. When the latch assembly is in the closed, overcenter position, the spur engages notch 43 on coextensive book 41 by reason of biasing spring 58. The latch assembly may be released to allow movement of the toggle lever to the latch open position by merely moving lever arm 56 toward the opposite end of the lock slot. This movement will pivot lock lever 56 about the lock rivet 55 and remove lock lever spur 56a from notch 43 to allow opening of the latch assembly.

The buckle includes a pair of side members 26, 27 laterally extending buckle pin 28 at one end and a knurled laterally extending clamping pin 29 at the other end. In addition the side members 26, 27 are provided with a pair of slots 30, 31 within which a laterally extending clamping bar 32 is loosely mounted so as to permit a longitudinal movement within the slots 30, 31. Clamping bar 32 is laterally retained within the slots 30, 31 by pin members 33, 34.

The wire fabric belt 17 is reeved under clamping pin 29 around clamping bar 32 and under clamping pin 29 to form a belt load end 17a and a belt free end 17b. The free end 17b is connected to a collar 170 that guides the belt free end along the belt load end. The wire fabric belt 17 is restrained from slipping from the buckle by friction that arises when free end 17b is clamped between load end 17a and clamping pin 29, and between clamping bar 32 and clamping pin 29. Here it should be noted that the slots 30, 31 are sized to limit movement of the clamping bar 32 to prevent crushing the reeved fabric. To tighten the wire fabric belt free end 17b is pulled along load end 17a in a direction away from the buckle. When a load is applied to load end 17a, that is when 17a is tensioned, the buckle automatically grips the fabric belt reeved around the clamping bar and clamping pin in a manner as set out above. Release of the wire fabric belt is accomplished by merely rotating the buckle counterclockwise around buckle pin 28 and pulling on load end 17a. By reason of this coaction between the load end and free end of the fabric belt and the clamping bar and clamping pin, the belt may be selectively adjustable when the latch assembly is abutting an object and the belt is wrapped around the object.

To use the invention, object 10 is placed in supporting chocks 11, 12 and the fabric belt is wrapped around the object. Buckle 25 is connected to latch assembly 35 by placing buckle pin 28 in coextensive hooks 41, 42. Belt free end 17 then is pulled away from the buckle and latch assembly along load end 17a to tighten the fabric belt around the object. At this point the latch assembly assumes the appearance as that shown in FIG. 3 but with the buckle mounted in the latch. Toggle lever 47 is rotated in clockwise direction, which rotation causes toggle links 51, 52 to exert a force on guide pin 46 toward the center of latch assembly 35. Since the guide pin is rigidly secured to the chock base 13, a tensioning force is exerted on the wire fabric belt. This tensioning force tends to tighten the fabric belt and results in a more positive securing of the object. Continuing a clockwise motion on toggle lever 47, the toggle lever assumes an over center postion whereupon lock lever spur 56a engage notch 43 to positively lock the toggle lever in an over center position. The invention then assumes the appearance as shown in FIG. 1. The apparatus is quickly releasable to permit access to object 10 by merely rotating lock lever 56 in a clockwise direction which cams lock lever spur 56a out of notch 43 to thereby release the positive lock on the toggle lever. A counterclockwise rotation of the toggle lever 47 releases the tension on wire fabric belt 17. Buckle 25 then is rotated in a counterclockwise direction about buckle pin 28 to loosen the belt.

When belt 17 is tensioned, bearing pins 39, and 40 forcibly abut object 10 to provide a more stable latch assembly which will not twist or unfasten accidently. The stability provided by the bearing pins is of importance since a latch of this type used aboard ship must be readily accessible for opening to release the secured object during conditions of emergency. When the latch assembly is in a closed position interconnecting portion 50 of toggle lever 47 and joining member 36a of the frame member assume a coplanar relationship which is substantially flush with the surface of the object. Since the bearing pins 39, 40 are the only parts of the latch assembly 35 which abut the object 10, the disclosed securing apparatus may be used to secure various sized and shaped objects.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in the light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for securing an object on a support block comprising;

a flexible belt,

means for securing one end of said belt to said support block,

a buckle,

a latch assembly,

said buckle having a belt engaging means and a latch coupling means, said belt engaging means being adjustably secured to the other end of said belt, said latch assembly having a frame formed with spaced walls provided with a pair of opposed slots at one end and a buckle coupling means carried at the other end of said walls, a guide pin reciprocally mounted in said opposed slots, an over center toggle lever having one end portion pivotally carried by said walls and toggle link means pivotally coupling a medial portion of said toggle lever to said guide pin, and

means coupled to said guide pin for connecting the latch assembly to said block whereby upon placing said latch coupling means within said buckle coupling means and pivotally moving said toggle lever to an over center position said latch assembly forceably tensions said flexible belt for securing said object.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1 in which said flexible belt is a flat belt formed of a wire fabric.

3. An apparatus according to claim 2 further including;

a pair of bearing pins mounted on opposite ends of said Walls and laterally extending therebetween, said bear- 5 6 ing pins projecting beyond said walls to abut said said lock lever being pivotally mounted on said toggle object when said flexible belt is forceably tensioned. lever and said biasing spring mounted to force said 4. An apparatus according to claim 3 in which said lock lever to engage a portion of one of said coextenbuckle is further provided with a pair of spaced sides latsive hooks to positively secure said toggle lever in erally mounting therebetween said belt engaging means 5 said over center position. and said latch coupling means, said engaging means including a knurled clamping pin and a clamping bar and References Cited said latch coupling means formed as a laterally extending UNITED STATES PATENTS buckle pin.

5. An apparatus according to claim 4 wherein; 10 142856O 9/1922 Robinson 24-68 X said buckle engaging means is an extension of both said FOREIGN PATENTS walls formed as coextensive hooks sized to mount 189,370 3 /1957 Austria Sald buckle P111 therem- 835,005 5/1960 Great Britain.

6. An apparatus according to claim 5 further including; a toggle latch having a lock lever and a biasing spring, 15 JAMES JONES, J Primary Examiner 

1. AN APPARATUS FOR SECURING AN OBJECT ON A SUPPORT BLOCK COMPRISING; A FLEXIBLE BELT, MEANS FOR SECURING ONE END OF SAID BELT TO SAID SUPPORT BLOCK, A BUCKLE, A LATCH ASSEMBLY, SAID BUCKLE HAVING A BELT ENGAGING MEANS AND A LATCH COUPLING MEANS, SAID BELT ENGAGING MEANS BEING ADJUSTABLY SECURED TO THE OTHER END OF SAID BELT, SAID LATCH ASSEMBLY HAVING A FRAME FORMED WITH SPACED WALLS PROVIDED WITH A PAIR OF OPPOSED SLOTS AT ONE END AND A BUCKLE COUPLING MEANS CARRIED AT THE OTHER END OF SAID WALLS, A GUIDE PIN RECIPROCALLY MOUNTED IN SAID OPPOSED SLOTS, AN OVER CENTER TOGGLE LEVER HAVING ONE END PORTION PIVOTALLY CARRIED BY SAID WALLS AND TOGGLE LINK MEANS PIVOTALLY COUPLING A MEDIAL PORTION OF SAID TOGGLE LEVER TO SAID GUIDE PIN, AND MEANS COUPLED TO SAID GUIDE PIN FOR CONNECTING THE LATCH ASSEMBLY TO SAID BLOCK WHEREBY UPON PLACING SAID LATCH COUPLING MEANS WITHIN SAID BUCKLE COUPLING MEANS AND PIVOTALLY MOVING SAID TOGGLE LEVER TO AN OVER CENTER POSITION SAID LATCH ASSEMBLY FORECABLY TENSIONS SAID FLEXIBLE BELT FOR SECURING SAID OBJECT. 